


The Last Danger

by jat_sapphire



Category: The Professionals
Genre: Gen, POV George Cowley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 04:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19165801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jat_sapphire/pseuds/jat_sapphire
Summary: Cowley has a think.





	The Last Danger

**Author's Note:**

> A writing exercise from BistoCon 2018. The prompt was "The Dangers of CI-5" and the POV was assigned. As the time ran out, I realized that the story needed to end with one word, so I needed to rework it to make that happen. I emailed the story to Cyanne later--thanks for the extra time!

There are days Cowley inhabits a body which seems to belong to someone else, one he wears like a mackintosh, one that runs itself like an automaton. Others see him stride or limp; they hear him speak in the voice they expect and respond to familiar frowns and tight smiles.

Inside is another man entirely.

He touches a file, turns the pages, and feels skin or hair under his fingertips. The glint on the cut glass holding his whiskey is a bright smile, eyes covering fear with humour. He picks up the phone receiver and feels the voice at the other end pierce his chest. He watches strong, skillful hands drive his car, swift limbs running, and the sight moves him more than anyone will ever know.

The core of him, he likes to think, is his vision of England, the far-off hint of roses and lavender. Whatever he has to do, whatever his agents must do, to protect that is worth … anything.

But when they are injured, when they die, when their eyes go dull and their hands are still, when they’ll never run like hawks diving again, then his private danger squeezes his throat and snaps at his heels.

Someday it will catch him and break him open, and its name is grief.


End file.
